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Toyota and Suzuki begin partnership talks
Toyota and Suzuki are exploring the possibility of a business partnership covering areas including environmental, safety and information technologies and procurement.

True fleet registrations put in record year in EU-5 Dataforce
2016 brought a record year for the True Fleet EU-5, recording its highest volume as a collective since 2005, latest figures show.

Lukas Neckermann named keynote speaker for NAFA International Fleet Academy
Author and strategic advisor Lukas Neckermann is to be the keynote speaker for NAFA’s 2017 International Fleet Academy (IFA).

PSA to assemble Peugeot 508 and 3008 in Kenya
The PSA Group has signed a deal with Urysia to start assembly of Peugeot cars in Africa.

Vattenfall plans 100% electric fleet
Swedish power company Vattenfall is to convert its 3,500-strong fleet to electric vehicles as part of aims to be climate neutral by 2050.

Honda sets up electric vehicle joint venture with Hitachi Automotive
Honda is planning to team up with Hitachi Automotive to develop, manufacture and sell motors for hybrid and fully electric vehicles.

Citroën C-Aircross Concept revealed ahead of Geneva
Citroën has unveiled its C-Aircross Concept compact crossover, which debuts at the Geneva Motor Show next month and shows a possible future product strategy for

Daimler and Uber partner on self-driving vehicles
Daimler is to make self-driving Mercedes-Benz vehicles for the Uber ride-sharing network under a new agreement.
Energy companies underrating impact of EV ‘game-changers’
Growing take-up of electric vehicles along with solar power could significantly reduce global demand for oil over the coming years, new research indicates.

Cross-border used vehicle sales hit record level as post-recession demand rises
Autorola has reported record levels of cross-border used vehicle sales for its online remarketing platform as Europe’s used vehicle volumes balance themselves out between countries.

Renault to boost LCV electrification plans with PVI acquisition
Renault has acquired French company PVI, which specialises in the electrification of light commercial vehicles, as it looks to develop a full range of electrified

RMS Automotive makes key organisational changes
International automotive and fleet remarketing business RMS Automotive has made several key personnel moves.

LeasePlan Index reveals divergent total costs of car ownership in Europe
The average cost of car ownership can vary by up to €344 per month between the most expensive and cheapest European countries surveyed, new LeasePlan

Interview: Simon Dransfield, Jaguar Land Rover
New Discovery will add to a growing line of Jaguar Land Rover models with strong fleet appeal across Europe, as John Kendall finds out.

Opel previews new Insignia Sports Tourer
Opel will unveil its second-generation Insignia Sports Tourer at the Geneva Motor Show, which gets a longer and more capacious load area than its predecessor.

Bridgestone extends DriveGuard run flat range
Bridgestone is to add a number of extra summer sizes to its DriveGuard run flat range.

Implementing telematics – Learning from truck success
Telematics systems have been much more successful with truck fleets than among car fleets. What could car fleets learn? Steve Banner reports.

‘Significant’ fuel economy gap to continue after introduction of WLTP
The gap between official MPG figures and real-world performance will remain significant despite regulatory change later this year, according to Emissions Analytics.

How risky is your fleet… and your drivers?
A resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly earlier this year seems set to raise the standards under which fleet vehicles are driven, operated and

Olivier Mansard joins Masternaut as vice president of global sales
Masternaut has appointed Olivier Mansard as vice president of global sales.

Hitachi Capital acquires Noordlease
Hitachi Capital Corporation has signed a deal to acquire Noordlease in the Netherlands, becoming the first Japanese leasing to company to enter the market.

Chevin appoints David Gladding to newly created global sales role
Chevin has appointed its former UK sales director David Gladding to a new role of global sales and marketing director in a drive to continue

First Drive: Peugeot 3008
The best Peugeot in 20 years? John Kendall thinks it might be…

Chevin wins first fleet deal through new Middle-Eastern supply chain
Chevin Fleet Solutions has signed a new Middle-Eastern distribution partnership and has already won its first fleet deal.

Strategic Analytics Team wins Shell driver training contract in Qatar
UK-based Strategic Analytics Team has won an approved supplier contract for oil giant Shell.

SEAT reveals new Ibiza
SEAT’s fifth-generation Ibiza supermini has been revealed and will focus on technology, refinement and personalisation.

GM and Honda team up to mass-produce hydrogen fuel cells
General Motors and Honda are to establish a joint venture to mass produce advanced hydrogen fuel cell systems in the US from 2020.

Deadline for NAFA’s 2017 Fleet Excellence Awards extended
NAFA Fleet Management Association has extended the deadline to submit nominations for its Fleet Excellence Awards (FLEXY) from 20 January to 3 February.

Enterprise expands into Armenia & Georgia
Enterprise Holdings Inc is to expand into Armenia followed by Georgia under a new franchise partnership with TravelCar.

Citroën C4 Cactus range gains six-speed EAT6 auto
Citroën’s C4 Cactus range will now be available with the brand’s EAT6 six-speed automatic gearbox .

New recruits to help drive Sofico expansion plans
Global automotive finance, leasing and fleet software provider Sofico is to welcome a number of new recruits this year in line with its planned growth

Interview: Gianluca Italia, FCA Group
FCA is approaching the European fleet market on a group-wide basis, not as individual brands, as John Kendall finds out. FCA – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Europcar’s Ubeeqo subsidiary acquires Italian car sharing company
Car sharing specialist Ubeeqo, which is owned by Europcar Group, is to expand into the Italian car sharing market with the acquisition of GuidaMi.

Big data, big opportunities
Over the past decade the world has experienced major changes, with disruptive forces impacting on every business including the sale of used vehicles. Everything

New Skoda Kodiaq Sportline revealed
Skoda has unveiled another new addition to its Kodiaq line-up in the form of the Sportline model.

Nissan and BMW partner to install 174 DC Fast Chargers across US
Nissan and BMW have teamed up with EVgo to install a total of 174 50kW DC Fast charging stations across 33 states in the US.

Skoda Kodiaq gets Scout treatment
Skoda has revealed its Kodiaq Scout model, which brings offroad styling and all-wheel drive as standard.

EU commercial vehicle registrations up +11.6% in 2016
Demand for commercial vehicles in Europe rose for the fifth year running in 2016, up by 11.6% to 2,324,371 million commercial vehicles.

PSA to return to manufacturing in India
The PSA Group is planning to return to producing vehicles in India under a new joint venture agreement.

Volvo S90 and V90 get top Euro NCAP ratings
Euro NCAP has released its latest safety ratings, with Volvo’s recently launched S90 and V90 models scoring a maximum five-star rating while Ford’s European Mustang

Mappy extends relationship with TomTom
French routing specialist Mappy is deploying TomTom live traffic information for the whole of Europe as it extends its partnership with the firm.

Electronic deliveries through moDel double, reports Ebbon-Dacs
Ebbon-Dacs, which specialises in e-procurement for major leasing and fleet management companies, has reported a doubling in the number of vehicles being delivered and collected

First Drive: Citroen C4 Picasso
The refreshed C4 Grand Picasso now offers style, versatility and more options, reports John Kendall.

Fleet operators warned over new emissions sticker system in France
European fleets with drivers travelling to France are being warned of a new vehicle emissions sticker system introduced in Paris, Lyon and Grenoble to tackle pollution.

SUVs account for one quarter of all 2016 EU vehicle registrations
According to the latest data released by JATO Dynamics, EU new car registrations totalled 15.14m units last year, a 6.5% increase over 2015. The results

Edenred takes majority stake in UTA
Employee benefits specialist Edenred has said it will launch dedicated light fleet solutions in several European key countries after taking a majority shareholding in fuel

DAF Trucks president to chair ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board in 2017
Preston Feight, president of DAF Trucks, has been elected as the chairman of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) Commercial Vehicle Board for 2017.

Driverless car firm establishes Asia-Pacific headquarters in South Australia
Driverless car technology specialist RDM Group is opening its Asia-Pacific headquarters in South Australia, marking its expansion into the region.

Sebastian Fuchs joins RMS Automotive in European sales and marketing role
RMS Automotive has appointed well-known industry figure Sebastian Fuchs as senior sales and marketing director in Europe.

Michelin Solutions UK management team to head up North European region
Michelin Solutions has expanded the roles for its UK commercial director Paul Davey and sales manager Richard Dale to cover North Europe too.

US regulator clears Tesla’s Autopilot of defects after crash investigation
The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed a seven-month investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) feature following
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